RAY PARK of Star Wars, G.I. Joe, X-Men and Heroes fame will be our guest of honor for FCBD! The calls have already started and everyone (including us) seems really pumped! We have pricing info on autographs. $30 will get you the John Hancock of Mr. Ray Park! A nice thing that Mr. Park has agreed to is he will take photos with customers at no extra charge as long as an autograph is purchased. $30 gets your item signed or you can buy one of Mr. Park’s fantastic photos. We spoke with Mr. Park this weekend at C2E2 and he is excited about meeting his fans in Omaha!

CYNTHIA MARTIN, Star Wars artist for the Marvel series has agreed (after much pleading) to be our special comic book guest! She is one of the nicest people in the comic business and does fantastic sketches! Cynthia has created a fantastic Darth Maul sketch available at Krypton on FCBD!

ANOTHER GREAT ARTIST SIGNS AT FCBD:Brook Turner, an Image comics artist of the fan favorite “GOLLY” will also appear at FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! We have seen Brook go from an artist with a dream to an artist with a job! Our buddy Phil Hester took Brook under his wing, saw his talent and now BAM! the rest is history! Great to have you and looking forward to seeing you!

Even more free comic book day news!
Our friends at Red Robin at 170th and Center will be handing out FREE coupons! FREE COMICS AND FREE FOOD!!! Does it get any better than that?

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY ARTISTS MATT AND MICK GLEBE CREATED THIS GREAT FLYER! Check out their kick butt website for great videos and samples of their new book THE MITH.

Members of the 501st Central Garrison will also be keeping the galaxy safe around Krypton Comics on FCBD! I can’t say enough great things about this group of people. Kids just love having their picture taken with a stormtrooper! This year some Clone Troopers are going to show up!

Carrie Fisher to Headline Star Wars Presence, Which Will Include Celebrity Appearances, Autographs, Exclusives and More

Norwalk, CT, March 26, 2010: Months before Star Wars Celebration V comes to Orlando, fans can feel the Force at Reed Exhibitions’ Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), at McCormick Place, April 16-18, 2010 in downtown Chicago. There’s a whole galaxy of fun on the exhibit hall floor, including celebrities, autographs and an exclusive collectible t-shirt that can only be found at the show – as well as a special appearance by Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy. In addition, Reed Exhibitions is producing Star Wars Celebration V – in cooperation with Lucasfilm – at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from August 12-15.

Special Star Wars C2E2 guests include:

Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa) A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi

(Scheduled for Saturday & Sunday only)

Ray Park (Darth Maul) The Phantom Menace

Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett) Attack of the Clones

Amy Allen (Jedi Aayla Secura) Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith

Orli Shoshan (Jedi Shaak Ti) Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith

Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith

“We are enormously excited to be making this announcement,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President of the Reed Pop Culture Group and Show Manager for C2E2. “I know that this will be a huge attraction for the thousands of Star Wars fans who will be participating in our show. This is an exclusive showcase that can only be found at C2E2 where fans will get a chance to share and participate in official Star Wars activity.”

Organizers note that in addition to the opportunity to meet stars, collectors will have the chance to get their hands on an exclusive Celebration V/C2E2 t-shirt that will only be available to those who purchase their tickets for Celebration V at C2E2. The t-shirt gives a nod to both shows. In addition to the celebration on the show floor, there will be activity on stage as well. Lucasfilm’s official presentation begins at 1:15pm on Saturday, April 17th in the IGN Theater, with Steve Sansweet exploring the past, present and future of Star Wars – from the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to the exciting weekly animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V.

Sunday is Kids Day at C2E2.. Kids of all ages can learn to draw The Clone Wars characters at the Variant Stage at 1:00pm with Star Wars artists Katie Cook and Grant Gould. Drawing paper and pencils will be provided, or budding artists can bring their own sketchbooks.

Organizers for C2E2 note that tickets for the show continue to sell quickly, and so all fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance! For more information on guests, tickets, or C2E2 in general, visit www.C2E2.com or check out the show’s official blog, MediumAtLarge at www.mediumatlarge.net, or follow C2E2 on Twitter at www.twitter.com/c2e2. For further information about Star Wars Celebration V and to buy tickets, go to www.starwarscelebration.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS POP CULTURE GROUP:

The Pop Culture Group at Reed Exhibitions owns and operates the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), and the New York Anime Festival (NYAF). New York Comic Con was launched in 2006 and quickly became a dominant presence in the pop culture world of public events. In 2009, 452 companies exhibited at NYCC for a total of 84,000 square feet of paid exhibit space, and it has been ranked by Crain’s New York Business as the second-largest annual event in NYC. C2E2, which will debut April 16 – 18 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, is modeled after NYCC and will provide fans the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite writers, creators, and artists, as well as to see, hear and learn about the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. The Pop Culture Group also operates the recently-launched Star Wars Celebration in partnership with the Lucasfilm Ltd. and UFC Fan Expo. Additionally, it holds a strategic partnership with Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in 2008 and will work closely with PAX on the launch of PAX East in Boston in 2010.

July 27, 2009 – Chicago Comic-Con returns from August 6-9 with a lineup guaranteed to impress pop culture fans everywhere.

“This year’s lineup of talent is by far our largest and we have brought out guests for people of all ages,” said Wizard CEO Gareb Shamus. “We listened to our fans who told us exactly what they wanted, and we feel this is what we are giving them. Over 600 guests in all, an incredible number.”

The convention features selections from every corner of the pop-culture world, including movies, TV, toys, comics, video games, anime, manga, sci-fi, horror, WWE, MMA and other forms of entertainment – along with video game tournaments and costume contests.

All fans attending the show are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite character, with an opportunity to win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. Top entries also will reach millions of fans via Wizard Magazine, wizarduniverse.com and wizardworld.com as well as other fan web sites.

The convention opens with a special preview night beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, and continues through the weekend of August 7-9, beginning each day at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. for Advance Ticket Buyers.) Tickets are on sale now at www.wizardworld.com or call 877-402-3748 for single day tickets, weekend passes and VIP packages. Tickets start at $25.

Lee and Park Join an Outstanding Roster of Comic Creators as Guests at the 29th Annual Mid-Ohio-Con

Registration is Now Open for Exhibitor Booths, Indie Publisher Booths and Tables in Creators’ Common

July 29, 2009 – Columbus, Ohio

Mid-Ohio-Con today announced that Ray Park and James Kyson Lee will headline Mid-Ohio-Con 2009 as special media guests. Park is best known as Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and he will star in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra opening on August 7th. James Kyson Lee is best known for his starring role as Ando Masahashi in Heroes, which will return to NBC for its 4th season this fall.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have these two superstars on board for our 2009 show,” said James Henry, Managing Director of Mid-Ohio-Con. “Mid-Ohio-Con 2008 was acclaimed as one of the best events in Mid-Ohio-Con’s long history and we’re going to recreate last year’s magic with a who’s who of the leading names from the worlds of comic books, gaming, film, and television at this year’s show.”

Registration is now open for Exhibitor Booths, Indie Publisher Booths, and Creators’ Common Tables. The show floor in Exhibition Hall E at the Greater Columbus Convention Center will accommodate nearly 200 Exhibitor Booths for retailers, publishers, manufacturers, and service providers, and 100 Creators’ Common tables for artists, writers, actors, and other guests.

Please visit the new Mid-Ohio-Con web site at midohiocon.com for further information and regular updates on Mid-Ohio-Con 2009. The new site is the primary source for all things related to this year’s Mid-Ohio-Con, including details on featured guests, registration forms, and information about show dates, venue, and other key areas of interest for attendees, exhibitors, and guests.

About Mid-Ohio-Con

Now entering its 29th year, Mid-Ohio-Con is one of America’s longest-running and most successful pop culture conventions. Each year, Mid-Ohio-Con brings fans of all ages together with leading comic book writers and artists, film and television creators and stars, as well as publishers and retailers from across the nation. Mid-Ohio-Con 2009 will be held on October 3-4 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Mid-Ohio-Con can be found online at midohiocon.com as well as on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Despite the many rumors to the contrary, Heroes will return to Comic-Con International: San Diego with an exclusive trailer and a number of stars.

WHAT: Comic-Con International 2009 fans will be the first to watch an exclusive trailer for Heroes Season 4, titled “Volume Five: Redemption,” created just for the annual event in San Diego.

WHO: Following the trailer, creator Tim Kring and cast members Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar and Zachary Quinto, as well as guest stars Robert Knepper, Dawn Olivieri, Ray Park and Madeline Zima, will participate in a Q&A session.